All posts by z3u9t.icu

Norwich City defender Max Aarons underwhelmed as his Championship side beat Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, as questions were raised over Everton’s current right-back options.

That’s according to the Liverpool Echo, who claimed that there is a growing concern for Carlo Ancelotti as the weekend’s loss to Burnley exposed an imbalance in his plans.

It is noted that Everton only delivered five accurate crosses during the 2-1 defeat to the Clarets, yet the quality of three of those successful efforts was still questionable.

Alex Iwobi also vastly struggled in a right-wing-back role with zero of his five crosses finding a teammate, and it was not often through a lack of movement in the centre that Everton were poor but rather in the ball being over or under hit to considerable degrees.

Iwobi has been poor all season, in fact, with the Nigerian only finding an Everton player with 14% of his crosses during Premier League fixtures for 0.4 accurate deliveries from 2.6 attempts a game, per WhoScored.

Mason Holgate is not much better when fielded at right-back with the natural centre-half finding a royal blue shirt with 0.3 crossed a game but from 1.6 attempts, for a 16.6% success rate. Seamus Coleman, who has started 10 of 16 league appearances this term, is successful with 0.3 of his 1.2 crosses a game, to register a 22.2% success rate.

On the opposing side of the field, Lucas Digne produces the highest number of accurate crosses a game in the Everton squad with 1.7 and from the most attempts (7.5), to see that the 27-year-old boasts a 22.6% success rate.

Ancelotti could look to address this imbalance in the upcoming summer transfer market with the Toffees boss already weighing up options who could replace Coleman, with the Liverpool Echo citing Norwich’s Aarons and Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey as two options being considered.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has also shared that the Blues are looking into Aarons’ situation, while Manchester United are likewise scouting the 21-year-old but Bayern Munich have brought a halt to their interest after baulking at the Canaries’ £35m valuation.

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has claimed Aarons would be an “excellent” replacement for Coleman if Everton were to raid Carrow Road for the second year in a row, after their £20m deal for Ben Godfrey last summer.

Aarons remained with Norwich after their relegation to the Championship while Godfrey and Jamal Lewis both sealed Premier League transfers, and has been a fixture of Daniel Farke’s side that is dominating the second-tier this season.

The London-born full-back has opened all 36 of the Canaries’ league games as they run away with the lead in search of an immediate return to the top-flight, while offering one goal and three assists.

But Sunday’s performance against Sheffield Wednesday may have given Ancelotti reason to doubt the benefits of a £35m move, having not attempted a single cross into the Owls’ box as he earned his joint-worst SofaScore match rating in 12 games at 6.7 out of 10.

Sheffield Wednesday should have been a side Aarons could pick apart with the Owls second-bottom of the table and on a seven-game losing streak, but he could not get anywhere near his average 0.8 accurate crosses (24%) a game that would be a welcome addition at Everton.

He further failed to offer a single successful tackle against Darren Moore’s Hillsborough natives, to ensure that his per game average remained below one an outing at 0.6.

It was also the second successive game that Aarons did not attempt a single cross, having also opted against lifting the ball into the area against Luton Town the previous week, while failing to pick out a teammate with his only delivery against Brentford at the start of the month.

Three underwhelming performances in a row could leave Ancelotti wondering if Aarons is the best option to replace Coleman long-term, given the growing concern that the right-back position is becoming at Goodison Park.

AND in other news, a £15k-p/w Everton dud who gives “absolutely nothing” has been tipped to seal a summer transfer…

Celtic are thought to be interested in a move for Peterborough United forward Siriki Dembele.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Give Me Sport, who claim that his impressive form in the current campaign has sparked intrigue from the Hoops.

Dembele’s impressive Peterborough form

The 24-year-old has netted seven times and provided 12 assists in English League One this season, helping the Posh to second place in the division ahead of the run-in.

His London Road deal expires at the end of June, meaning the Hoops could strike a pre-contract agreement over the coming months.

Transfer Tavern take

Dembele appears to fit one of the club’s two transfer policies of being a UK-based talent with high upside potential available on a pre-contract.

He has lined out on the left and right, at centre-forward and as an attacking midfielder during his career, so his versatility could be welcomed at Parkhead.

Dembele is also the older brother to Hoops teenager Karamoko. Reports have suggested that the 18-year-old is set to leave Celtic in the summer, but could the possibility of his brother moving to Glasgow change his mind?

In other news: Celtic readying summer move for player Nick Hammond watched live two months ago, find out more here. 

Reports by Chronicle Live earlier this week suggested Newcastle United could yet offer Kyle Scott a new contract, after the outcast midfielder snubbed a move to Major League Soccer franchise FC Cincinnati.

The 23-year-old had been offered a two-year deal to join Jaap Stam’s West End Stadium natives after impressing the Orange and Blue during a trial with the Ohio-based outfit.

But the former Chelsea trainee rejected the deal and has returned to the UK, as the terms presented fell just shy of his expectations.

Stam was keen for Scott to move to Cincinnati and it was expected that the Stamford Bridge product would join the MLS franchise on a free transfer ahead of the first game of the 2021 season on April 17.

Yet Scott is now expected to explore alternative options, as his heart is set on staying in Europe with a top-flight side where first-team minutes will be available.

Scott is believed to feel that senior game time is a must for a player of his age, which has never been on offer at St. James’ Park since his arrival in 2019 having never been included in one of Steve Bruce’s matchday squads.

The Chronicle note that Scott has never even spoken with Bruce, making it unlikely that the Bath-born midfielder will be offered a new deal with the Magpies.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-newcastle-news%2c-gossip-and-views-2″ title=”The latest Newcastle news, gossip and views!”]

Newcastle hold an option to extend Scott’s current contract by a further year to avoid losing him on a free, but it is expected that his United career will end in the same manner as his Chelsea days.

The former United States Under 20s international made just one outing for the Blues before snubbing a lucrative four-year deal, feeling that first-team opportunities were not going to be on offer had he remained at Stamford Bridge.

But Scott’s decision to join Newcastle instead, against an approach from FC Barcelona and interest from a host of top European sides, has turned out to be a disaster for his career as the 23-year-old is back at square one still looking for a breakthrough.

As Bruce is claimed to have never even spoken to Scott, it makes sense for all parties to end their relationship this summer, with United’s Managing Director Charnley blocking any consideration of taking up the Toon’s option to extend his contract.

Scott had glowing endorsements from Eden Hazard and David Luiz when he left Chelsea in 2019, who were said to have encouraged the £45,000-rated dud to try his luck with Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain, but the Magpies have never seen that player.

Injuries played a key role in Scott’s progress stagnating after a “very frustrating” first 12-months on Tyneside, though the following year has only returned four appearances with Newcastle’s U23s in the Premier League 2.

The last of his appearances came back in November, and it speaks volumes that Chris Hogg has never recalled Scott given United have won just three of their last 11 PL2 fixtures and losing on six occasions to sit 12th of the 13 sides in their division.

Scott may not have felt that Cincinnati was the right home for him, but it is clear that Newcastle is not either, making it absolutely necessary for him to leave St. James’ this summer.

AND in other news, a £40k-p/w Newcastle star is facing a race against time to feature again this season…

Leeds must get rid of Gjanni Alioski in the summer amid a major development over his long-term future at the Premier League side.

What’s the story?

The 29-year-old’s contract at Marcelo Bielsa’s side expires at the end of the season, and as of yet, there have been no talks of Leeds renewing his deal to extend his stay at Elland Road.

Now, Football Insider claim that Alioski has instructed his agent to start finding him a new club ahead of the summer, with his contract situation meaning that he will be able to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club.

Bielsa may be fuming

Former Premier League star Kevin Phillips said earlier this season: “From what I gather, his attitude is good and every club needs a player like that. He is a player who can unlock the door and he has a brilliant work rate.

“When he comes off the bench he can change the game and if you start with him he might be able to produce a bit of magic. Either way he does not moan and every squad needs a player like that. He is a player that they would like to keep. Leeds will want to get him on a new contract.”

And, writing in The Athletic, Phil Hay said: “Opinion about him can be divided between those who see merit in Alioski’s engine and flashes of class and those who question his ability to consistently impact on games. Bielsa’s own assessment of him is clear enough. Only the disciplined survive under Bielsa. When the Argentinian took over at Leeds, Alioski was one of those who comfortably made the cut.”

But while the £55k-a-week earning Alioski has clearly been a favourite of Bielsa’s since he took over at Elland Road – he’s played well over well over 100 games for him –  his disappointing performances this season raise question marks over whether he’s truly cut out for the Premier League.

He was woeful in the 4-2 defeat to Arsenal earlier in February, and that shocking display prompted Bielsa to drop him from the starting line-up for the next game against Wolves – he’s since been named among the substitutes for the subsequent two Premier League fixtures too.

Stuart Dallas has filled in at left-back, while 21-year-old Leif Davis is also waiting in the wings to get a real chance in the first-team. Making a tough call on Alioski and letting him walk in the summer would allow Leeds to move on. It may have Bielsa fuming about losing one of his key players over these past few seasons, but the time is surely right to look to the future.

Every club has them. The ones that got away, the nearly and not-so-nearly deals.

Glasgow Rangers themselves are no exception to the rule, having signed some great players, but missed out on some even greater ones.

Rangers were by no means quiet in the extended summer transfer window, bringing in the likes of Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe on four-year deals for undisclosed fees, although they missed out on signing former Peterborough United striker Ivan Toney.

However, if they had stuck to their guns, they could have had one of the Sky Bet Championship’s hottest young talents on their books.

Indeed, it seems Ross Wilson and co. have missed the chance to sign Bright Osayi-Samuel, with Football Insider’s Wayne Veysey saying Fenerbahce have pipped Rangers to the signing of the Queens Park Rangers winger.

The 23-year-old is set to swap the Championship for the sunny heights of the Super Lig after opting to leave the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

QPR director of football Les Ferdinand has given the green light for Osayi-Samuel to complete the move for a fee believed to be in the region of £700,000 in a big blow for Steven Gerrard.

The Nigerian has genuinely been one of the best players in the Championship, given his decent record for the R’s – 13 goals and 13 assists in 115 appearances, albeit a substantial amount of those from the bench.

Rangers and several clubs south of the border were interested in the £3m-rated ace, but Fenerbahce have beaten them to the post for a player who was dubbed “dangerous” by Mark Warburton.

Not that he’d like to admit it, but their failure to sign Osayi-Samuel will have left Gerrard with a sour taste after their inability to strike a deal with the Championship club for little more than a compensation fee.

Ryan Kent has long been considered Gerrard’s first-choice left winger, with the Light Blues boss not adverse to starting Ianis Hagi on the left wing. However, although Rangers have three other options out wide in Brandon Barker, Jordan Jones and Glenn Middleton, his squad options are thin in that area, as both Barker and Jones are considered surplus to requirements.

It seems Gerrard has made it a winter priority to give himself plenty of alternatives after links to the likes of Francis Amuzu and Scott Wright.

In Osayi-Samuel, however, not only would he have been able to provide cover for Kent, he would also have been able to provide competition as well. After all, he is currently averaging 2.8 dribbles per game so far this season, which is more than Kent himself (1.9).

His ability to play on both wings will also be an added bonus for Fenerbahce and a bitter note for Gerrard.

AND in other news, Rangers would be signing another Ryan Kent in Francis Amuzu…

In recent comments made to the Daily Record, former Glasgow Rangers star Antti Niemi, heaped praise on Gers midfielder, Glen Kamara, stating his belief that the Ibrox star could play for one of Europe’s leading clubs.

So far this season, Kamara has been a pivotal part of Steven Gerrard’s table-topping side, featuring in 24 of the club’s 28 Scottish Premiership fixtures, over which the defensive midfielder has made an average of 1.1 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 0.8 key passes per game, culminating in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.90.

As a result of his fine form, TEAMtalk reported back in December that a number of English Premier League teams, including Everton, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and Southampton, were all keeping tabs on the £4.05 million-rated 25-year-old and Niemi, speaking recently to the Daily Record, claimed that Kamara could easily do a job for a top-six Premier League side.

He said: “I have no doubt that he could go down and play for the biggest clubs in the English Premier League, Bundesliga or Serie A. He has the ability to play for any good team. If you put Glen Kamara in a top-six Premier League team would he look out of place? My answer is simply no; he would look very good.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Having been a part of the Arsenal youth setup as a youngster, the Gunners ultimately felt Kamara did not have to ability to be a regular part of their first-team squad, letting the midfielder join Dundee United on a free transfer back in 2017, having made just one senior appearance for the north London side.

However, since that time, the 25-year-old has undoubtedly proven himself a very capable player, not only in Scotland but also in European competition, scoring one goal and averaging a highly impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.04 over his six Europa League appearances so far this season.

And, with reports of a great deal of Premier League interest in Kamara, perhaps Niemi’s claim regarding the player’s English top-flight ability could well be put to the test sooner or later.

In other Rangers news, Gers fans slammed this man’s performance against Hamilton, find out more here!

According to recent reports, Norwich City have made a new approach for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp.

The report by Football Insider claims that a source close to Tottenham has revealed that Championship table-toppers Norwich City, where Skipp is currently on loan, have enquired about the possibility of taking the £6.48m-rated 20-year-old on a temporary basis once again next season.

Football Insider reported that the England under-21 international is viewed as a key figure at Carrow Road, with Daniel Farke’s side keen to retain the services of the Spurs youngster for their likely Premier League campaign next term, should the Canaries go on to secure promotion from the second tier.

Transfer Tavern Take

Skipp has certainly impressed during his time spent in Norfolk so far, with the midfielder playing every minute of the Canaries’ 35 Championship fixtures. In that spell, the defensive midfielder has averaged two tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 0.5 blocks and 0.6 key passes per game, culminating in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.88 – ranking him as the club’s joint ninth-best player in the second tier.

However, with Jose Mourinho referring to Skipp’s displays at Norwich as “phenomenal” earlier this season, as well as suggesting he believes the 20-year-old could be the “future captain” of Spurs, it remains unclear as to whether the 58-year-old would be open to letting the midfielder leave north London once again next season, even on a temporary basis.

In other news: Tottenham are also monitoring this attacker, find out more here.

Liverpool continued their poor recent form as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Southampton on Monday night.

Danny Ings’ early goal against his former side proved enough for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side to earn the three points, despite the Reds throwing everything they had at the home side in the second half.

One man who especially disappointed during the defeat at St Mary’s was Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The England international was hooked by Jurgen Klopp with just under 20 minutes remaining after what was undoubtedly one of his worst performances in a Liverpool shirt.

As per SofaScore, the 22-year-old earned a shocking 5.6 rating for his performance against the Saints, which was comfortably enough to see him ranked as the worst player on the pitch.

A nightmare display for the youngster began less than two minutes in when his questionable defending allowed Ings to loop in the only goal of the game.

From there, the academy graduate struggled from both an attacking and a defensive point of view, as he was able to win just one of the seven duels he was involved in during the game.

His usually reliable crossing was nowhere near its usual standard, with only three of his nine attempted crosses finding a Liverpool shirt, whilst just eight of his 17 long balls were accurate.

Perhaps most frustratingly, Alexander-Arnold gave away possession a remarkable 38 times during his time on the pitch, whilst also registering a disappointing pass accuracy rate of just 61%, so it was no surprise to see James Milner replace him for the latter stages of the game.

After a nightmare display, perhaps Klopp should consider dropping Alexander-Arnold for the Reds’ next game, which sees them take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday night, where they will be desperate to avoid a repeat of the 7-2 defeat from earlier this season.

And, in other news… Forget Botman: Edwards must ensure Liverpool beat MUFC to 6 ft 5 monster

Sunderland failed in what could have been the perfect chase of an “aggressive” defender this summer, leaving Chief Executive Officer Jim Rodwell to surely rue missing out on Charlie Goode.

What’s the word?

According to The Northampton Chronicle, Sunderland were one of many sides to have held an interest in Goode this year, with his future at the Black Cats’ League One rivals Northampton Town in doubt following an outstanding campaign.

Championship duo Queens Park Rangers and Middlesbrough were also thought to be keen, though refused to pay the Cobblers a rumoured £750,000 with Boro at most presenting an initial bid worth in the region of £500,000.

Ultimately, neither returned with a larger sum and Goode departed Northampton for Brentford in a club-record deal, said to be worth seven-figures rising up to £1.5million in various add-ons.

Sunderland matching that fee would have seen Goode become the Black Cats’ most-expensive purchase since the £4m arrival for Will Grigg in 2019, while also coming during a window where all other incoming players were signed as either free agents or on loan.

Nonetheless, Rodwell will be disappointed to see Goode now go on and thrive in the Championship with promotion-hopefuls Brentford after establishing himself under Thomas Frank at the 2019/20 Play-Off Finalists.

A solid start

Goode had to wait for his chance to feature for Brentford with Frank retaining Pontus Jansson, Ethan Pinnock and Mads Bech Sorensen from last season’s defence, with the 25-year-old not earning his Championship debut until October’s 3-2 loss at Stoke City.

Frank swiftly reverted back to his more-favoured options against Norwich and Luton Town, but recalled Goode against Swansea as the Bees were held to a 1-1 draw through Andre Ayew in the 77th-minute.

The Carabao Cup was were Goode first made a name for himself with the Bees through three outings from three in the early rounds, while assisting Emiliano Marcondes’ initial equaliser against Premier League West Bromwich Albion before the tie headed straight to penalties.

Frank knew what sort of player he was signing in Goode before the defender had kicked a ball for the Greater London outfit, noting via quotes by The Northampton Chronicle in August: “Charlie is a player I really like.

“He is an aggressive defender and a big aerial threat in both boxes, which is a big thing for us. He has good quality on the ball, which we feel we can develop further within our style of play.

“I feel Charlie can add something to the team, especially given his leadership qualities. We are sure that he will grow and develop further with us over the coming years and that, in turn, he will help us go forward as a club too.”

Goode may be yet to win a Championship game, but in his two second-tier displays to date he has proven worthy of Frank’s praise with an average of nine duels won each match through five ground battles and four aerial contests, per SofaScore.

The towering 6 ft 5 gem has won 91% of his ground duels, too, while averaging 94 touches, 69 accurate passes with an 88% completion rate, 2.5 clearances and 1.0 tackles.

Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson would surely have loved to have worked with Goode this season, but Chief Executive Officer Rodwell will know the deal was always out of reach.

AND in other news, Sunderland have the ideal chance to sign a modern-day gem for free.

Leeds United will face their next Premier League test on Friday when they play host to West Ham at Elland Road. The Whites were dealt a tough defeat on the road last time out as Chelsea’s attack proved too much for their backline in a 3-1 win for the Blues.

In a recent injury blow for Marcelo Bielsa, Robin Koch has been confirmed to require surgery on his knee, which will rule him out for potentially several weeks. This opens the door for fellow summer signing Diego Llorente to show the manager what he’s made of as he fills in for the injured German.

An injury update from the Irons could also be a boost for Llorente, as football.london report that Michail Antonio is likely to miss the clash in Yorkshire.

A big opportunity for Llorente

Antonio has been in fine form this season, scoring three goals in seven appearances for the east London outfit so far (via Transfermarkt). He is currently out with a thigh injury and the Hammers have struggled in his absence.

Indeed, Harry Redknapp recently lauded the 30-year-old striker as “frightening” and a “threat” to any defence he comes up against.

At the moment, there’s just three points between them and Leeds, so a win for either team will be crucial on Friday. The Whites will hope that the return of Kalvin Phillips will make the difference and Llorente can fill Koch’s boots.

With Antonio expected to miss out, it could be a saving grace for the £22,000 per week Leeds defender, who will need a boost in confidence after only making his debut last weekend. If he can contribute to a clean sheet and help his new team get the win, he could throw his hat into the ring for contention to be Liam Cooper’s permanent centre-back partner for the rest of the season.

In other news, Carlton Palmer says one Man United player would be a perfect fit for Leeds…